Banking News – Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has shortlisted six companies in the first phase for printing the country’s currency notes.

The selected firms include China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation, De La Rue International Ltd (UK), Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology (Germany), Joint Stock Company (Russia), Oberthur Fiduciaire SAS (France), and Polish Security Printing (Poland).

These companies will now be eligible to participate in the bidding process for currency printing over the next two years. NRB will issue tenders for required banknotes, with the contract awarded to the company offering the lowest cost.

Banknotes in Circulation

Currently, the total value of currency in circulation stands at Rs 6.40 trillion. Among them:

• Rs 1,000 notes account for Rs 453 billion
• Rs 500 notes amount to Rs 127 billion
• Rs 250 notes are valued at Rs 81.1 million
• Rs 100 notes total Rs 30 billion
• Rs 50 notes are worth Rs 13.6 billion
• Rs 25 notes account for Rs 52.9 million
• Rs 20 notes total Rs 7.44 billion
• Rs 10 notes are valued at Rs 5.59 billion
• Rs 5, Rs 2, and Rs 1 notes collectively amount to Rs 3.79 billion

The selection of these companies marks a crucial step in ensuring the smooth production of Nepal’s currency notes while maintaining cost-effectiveness.